My Saviour, My Angel
by Her Pretty Smile
Summary: —[Rewritten] AU. He plans to tell the girl he likes how he feels about her. However, fate just doesn't seem to want him to. At first, he's depressed and all, but as time passes, he finds himself being able to stand up again by the girl who had changed him and his life. CloudღTifa. [Ongoing]


**My Saviour, My Angel**

by Her Pretty Smile

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**Synopsis**: [Rewritten] AU. He plans to tell the girl he likes how he feels about her. However, fate just doesn't seem to want him to. At first, he's depressed and all, but as time passes, he finds himself being able to stand up again by the girl who had changed him and his life. CloudღTifa.

**Warning**: Unbeta-ed; full of amateurish mistakes.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

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**CHAPTER ONE: DEATH & DREAM**

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I WAS A LONER back in highschool, an introvert who wanted nothing more than to stay away from groups of people and just bask in the comfort of solitude. I didn't have any friends, just classmates who were invisible to me and who treated me as invisible. I didn't mind, though. I was used to being alone, so not having someone to talk to didn't really affect me much.

But then one day, something happened.

Vincent Valentine, the one who the class treated as a weirdo, approached me and just sat next to me without saying anything. I was grateful for the silence; I really didn't want to do so much as talk.

But then Yuffie Kisaragi, the loud, hyperactive girl in class, walked up to me and gave me a sunny grin.

"Hey there!" she greeted enthusiastically. "You're Cloud Strife, aren't you? Why don't you talk to anybody? Are you mute?"

Silence greeted her back for a long moment before Vincent decided to speak.

"Yuffie..." His voice was low and rough. "He does not need your company."

"Aw, but _Vinnie_!"

I could see a vein throb on said man's temple.

"Can't you see he needs someone to talk to?" Yuffie continued on, completely oblivious to Vincent's increasing annoyance. "And you yourself aren't really any different from him because—"

"_Yuffie_," a soft voice chided gently.

I turned my head towards the source and found myself looking at a girl with long dark hair and soft, refined features of a pretty face.

I remembered her name. Tifa Lockhart, the school's sweetheart and expert in martial arts. Some said that she was very nice and good-natured while some said that she could pack a good, hard punch when provoked.

It was a sort-of contradictory personality.

"I've heard of you." Tifa's soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "You're Cloud Strife, the loner with the good looks." Her voice held no sign or indication of mockery or malice, just a plain matter-of-fact tone mixed with evident interest and curiosity. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tifa. Tifa Lockhart." She extended her hand towards me in a friendly manner.

I didn't know why, but I slowly held out my hand and shook hers in it briefly. Then I retracted it, turning my full attention to the textbook on my desk.

Yuffie let out a low whistle. "Well, Tifa, that was a start."

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AFTER THAT DAY, SHE and her friends started to try to make friends with me. I didn't let them out, but I also didn't let them in. It was hard enough for my conscience to ignore them and keep on being silent, but I hadn't realized that they didn't really get the message.

After a month and they still didn't give up, I finally spoke.

"Don't waste your time with me," I told Tifa, gently pushing her away when she tried to take my fallen pen on the ground. "I'm not worth all your efforts."

Her eyes widened for a moment in surprise, but then a smile lit her face. "Everyone deserves having somebody who takes an effort to be friends with them. You are not an exemption, Cloud."

Yuffie, as usual, chattered away. "Yeah, that's right, Cloud! Don't you know that many guys would—"

"Yuffie," Vincent said in mild exasperation. "Please be quiet."

The girl pouted, but she obediently kept her mouth shut.

It was the day when I saw life in a brand new light.

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THE FOUR OF US became the best of friends even though I still kept quiet most of the time. They didn't seem to mind, though. I, too, didn't mind Yuffie's rambling anymore.

Because it was actually kind of comforting.

Years passed by in a blink of an eye, and before I knew it, it was already graduation day.

"We're all going to see each other again, right? Right?" Tears pooled up in Yuffie's eyes.

"Of course," Tifa said in a soft, confident tone. "Don't be silly, Yuffie. The four of us will make ways to be with each other once in a while. Right, Cloud?"

A small smile curled my lips. "Yeah."

Unbeknownst to me, a light shade of pink coloured her cheeks.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Vincent's face, his eyes glinting perceptively.

Yuffie opened her arms wide. "Group hug, guys! We're graduating!"

At the corner of my eye, I could see Vincent flinch.

"No," he said with a tone of finality in his voice.

"Aw, but Vinnie!"

"_No_."

"C'mooon!"

"No."

"Pleaaase?"

"No."

"Viiince!"

"No."

"I'll treat you after this!"

"No."

"I'll... be quiet from now on!"

"..._Fine_."

Tifa gave a melodious laugh, then dragged me and Vincent towards Yuffie. The two of us guys reluctantly hugged, whereas the two girls were enthusiastic about the group hug.

Well, it was exhausting and just a bit embarrassing, but all in all, it was a day that I would never forget.

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THE FOUR OF US still kept in touch with each other even after we'd already gotten year-long jobs.

"How's work?" Vincent asked me one day when we were in a cafe sipping steaming-hot coffees in the middle of winter.

"Still the same, I guess," I replied, placing my empty mug on the table.

He eyed me curiously. "How's your love life going?"

I almost choked. I had never, ever imagined Vincent asking me that, much less even saying the word 'love'.

"W—Why do you ask?" I said in the middle of a cough.

Interest shone in his eyes. "So you do have a lovelife," he stated.

"I—I don't," I stammered briefly, much to my chagrin. "I just..." My voice trailed off.

"You just what?"

"I..." I let out a sigh, knowing that telling him wouldn't do me any harm. "I like this girl at work. Her name's Aeris Gainsborough."

"Aeris Gainsborough? Doesn't ring a bell." Vincent sipped more of his coffee and glanced at me. "Good luck, then. Are you planning to confess to her?"

"On my birthday," I said quietly. "I'll tell her on my birthday."

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MY 24TH BIRTHDAY WAS tomorrow. And it was today when I received three voice messages.

One was from Yuffie. "Hey, Cloud! I'm coming over to your place tomorrow! I won't take no for an answer!"

The other was from Vincent. "Good luck, Cloud. Don't ruin this opportunity."

I heaved a sigh. Yeah, I sure knew exactly what he was talking about.

One was from Tifa. "So, the three of us plan to sleep over at your house tomorrow. Would it be all right, Cloud?"

A small smile appeared on my face as I replied to her that it was all right and informed her that I would be inviting another guest.

'_Sure. We'd love to meet her_' was Tifa's reply.

How Tifa knew that it was a girl, I didn't know, because I highly doubted that Vincent had told her.

Then, with hesitance, I texted Aeris next.

'_Hey. Can you come over to my place tomorrow? I've got something important to tell you._'

Her reply came a moment later. '_Sure! I wouldn't miss it for the world, Cloud!_'

With that, I smiled softly.

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YUFFIE AND VINCENT WERE the early ones to arrive.

"Tifa said she might be late," Vincent informed me. "Since she's living far away from here, it might take her some time."

"I know."

Yuffie was as enthusiastic as ever. "Hey, Cloud! I missed you so much!" She hugged me fiercely, her now-long dark hair sprawled over my shoulder.

Not long after, Tifa came over carrying a large present.

"You didn't have to buy me a gift," I protested.

"Don't be such a killjoy, Cloud," Tifa said stubbornly. "I just want you to have a birthday you'll always remember. By the way, where's your other guest?"

"She's coming."

"Okay, good! I'm excited to meet her!" Tifa said enthusiastically.

I raised an eyebrow in response. "How do you know it's a girl?" I asked slowly.

Tifa gave me a wink. "I just know, Cloud."

After telling them to make themselves at home in the living room, I took out my phone and dialed Aeris' number.

She picked up on the third ring. "_Hello?_" she said breathlessly.

"Hey," I said hesitantly. "Am I disturbing you?"

"_Oh, Cloud! I'm near your place right now. Can you wait for me by the gate?_"

"Sure."

"_Thanks a lot! Bye!_"

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I DID WAIT FOR her at the gate. But after a long moment, I decided to walk farther down the road where the cars were so that I could spot her easily.

And after a few minutes, I saw her get out of her car and proceed to lock it.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Aeris!" I called out.

She looked up from the keys in her hand and smiled widely. "Cloud!"

As soon as she said my name, it happened.

An incoming truck was suddenly hit by a drunk driver, and that same truck rolled in the air and crashed onto her.

I shouted her name as loud as I could, but it was really no use.

She couldn't hear me anymore.

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THE DAY OF AERIS' funeral, Vincent approached me.

"What is it?" I asked monotonously when he didn't say anything.

"...When they searched Aeris' car, they found a destroyed cake in the backseat and also this." He held out a crumpled, slightly burnt envelope. "Since the truck only hit a small part of the car, it was barely saved."

With shaking hands, I took the envelope from him, opened it, then read:

'_Happy birthday, Cloud! I am so glad that I'v met you. You've been such a good friend to me, so I baked a cake for you. I hope you will like it._

'_So, you're twenty-four years old! Congratulations. Hey, by the way, if tonight, I couldn't tell you what I want to say, then maybe I can gather the courage to tell you some other time. I'm sorry, it's just that I'm too afraid._'

I gripped the letter in my hands, my gaze low. "What did she want to say to me?" I wondered aloud, but my voice was quiet.

He stared at me with solemn eyes. "Isn't it obvious, Cloud? She loved you, too."

After that, my whole world came crashing down on me.

_Damn it._

I never told her that I loved her, too.

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**TO BE CONTINUED**


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